I have been a big reader all my life. I enjoy reading books, discussing books, recommending books, and knowing what others are reading. This blog is an attempt to extend and continue this thread. In 1996, I founded a book club with my wife and two other couples. We rotate the book picks, and the person who picks the book hosts a dinner party. We get together roughly every 5 or 6 weeks. We have read and discussed around 100 books. The best of which (we all agree) was Wallace Stegner's "Angle of Repose." The book I hated the most was "Herzog" by Saul Bellow. This project has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life. It is the cornerstone of my social life, and the members of the book club are my closest friends in the world.
One interesting sidebar: As this book club is a mixed gender book club, I did not immediately realize that most book clubs are women only. It was only many years later when I founded a book club at work that I realized this gender bent. My male colleagues were just as prolific in their reading as the women. For whatever reason, my male colleagues were not interested in discussing what they have read to the same degree as my female colleagues.
From time to time, I will post my thoughts regarding books and stories I have read. I am currently reading a book of poems by Tony Hoagland called "What Narcissism Means to Me." I am a third of the way through the book and I find the poems to be extremely accessible. I do not read much poetry, preferring the linear and logical progression of most narrative prose. Poetry always seemed more about style and sound over meaning. I am sure my sister, a published poet, would have a few things to say about this. It will be interesting to see how my preconceptions are impacted by these poems. The colllection will be discussed by my book club on Saturday. My wife picked this collection and has prepared a number of discussion points. I will let you know how it goes...
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I love Angle of Repose. I wish I could have been there for that discussion! Good luck with your blog--I find blog writing to be such a great way to process ideas and to archive your ideas. I look forward to reading your thoughts about all of the books that you have read/are reading.
ReplyDeleteI like your sidebar about how book clubs are more frequently composed of women and not men. I wonder why that is--what are some of the reasons that your male colleagues gave (I bet you knew that I would ask that question)?
Mr. Perdices,
ReplyDeleteThis blog will be interesting to read. I'll have to get Hoagland's book from the library next week. He's really good friends with Dean Young, my professor. Dean often appears in his books.
I like that your book club is composed not only of men and women, but couples, all of which are good friends. If you'll allow me to use an academic buzzword: I can see why "homosocial" book clubs, or poker clubs, exist. But the young, overly educated, Twenty First Century couple is more egalitarian in the social and domestic space, and won't tend to separate into "lady' group activities and manly group activities. Save for the occasional mancation.